THE FINANCIAL constraints placed on the Ospreys this past year put enormous pressure on the Welsh franchise. Last summer three Grand Slam-winning Welsh backs – Lee Byrne, James Hook and Mike Phillips – took up lucrative Top 14 contracts.
This season the coaching structure was gutted with Seán Holley and Scott Johnson making way as 32-year-old Steve Tandy was promoted and asked to stabilise a squad that continues to hemorrhage.
Tommy Bowe is out injured for the rest of the season and heading back to Ulster anyway; Welsh hooker Huw Bennett has signed for Lyon; Scottish winger Nikki Walker is off to Worcester Warriors, while the great Shane Williams will retire either tomorrow or after the RaboDirect final in just over a fortnight.
The Swansea crowd are hardly flocking to Liberty Stadium either, with about 5,000 at most games. That climbed to 14,000 against the Dragons on April 20th as the one-time leading Welsh franchise, and league champions in 2010, secured a home semi-final against Munster after a five-match winning streak.
“In all honesty, as players, I think we realised we got to a stage mid-season where the product on the pitch probably wasn’t worth ticket prices,” Alun Wyn Jones admitted. “We’ll be brash enough to say that. But now I think results have since improved. I think ultimately you’d rather go see a team that is winning with poor performances rather than losing and, you know, that’s the way it should be.”
It appears the stylish approach, fostered by Johnson in particular, has been replaced with substance.
Although it is more a case of injury-enforced retirements, a similar player drain is occurring in Munster.
“Ah yeah, there used to be the stock side with John Hayes, Marcus, Paulie, Donncha and boys like that but It was always going to happen,” said Adam Jones.
The Welsh and Lions tighthead prop has bucked the recent trend in Wales. The equally highly-rated Welsh prop Gethin Jenkins has bid adieu to the Cardiff Blues for the bright rays of Toulon next season, but Jones opted to re-sign for another two years with the Ospreys. “We did get bad press over here but we tend not to listen to it. Obviously the new coach has taken over and it is enjoyable to be playing for the Ospreys again. We don’t worry too much about what people say. We are happy about how we are playing.”
But how to beat an angry Munster side? Easy; same as they have done twice already this campaign. They have also flipped Leinster both home and away, the 23-22 victory at the RDS in March initiating their current momentum. “We have been fortunate enough to beat them twice this year,” said Tandy. “It is all about defence as it will have to be on Friday night but we do seem to have a knack of beating Munster.”
MUNSTER SQUAD (v Ospreys): F Jones, D Barnes, J Murphy, I Dineen, K Earls, L Mafi, S Zebo, T OLeary, C Murray, S Deasy, I Keatley, R OGara, D Kilcoyne, W du Preez, S Archer, J Ryan, M Sherry, D Fogarty, S Henry, BJ Botha, Donncha OCallaghan, M ODriscoll, D Ryan, T ODonnell, Dave OCallaghan, P OMahony, P Butler.
Mccarthy facing Monday hearing
CONNACHT AND Ireland lock Mike McCarthy will attend a disciplinary hearing in Cardiff next Monday for an alleged incident of contact with an opponent’s eye area, writes Gavin Cummiskey.
The incident with Glasgow’s Tom Ryder occurred during a heated moment in last Saturday’s Pro 12 match at Firhill. McCarthy has been charged under IRB law 10.4 (m) – “Acts contrary to good sportsmanship.”
Having been capped as a secondrow replacement during the Six Nations, McCarthy is in line to tour New Zealand with Ireland next month, providing he avoids a suspension.
Meanwhile, Ronan O’Gara has been passed fit to face the Ospreys tomorrow at Liberty Stadium in the Pro 12 play-off semi-final.
Leinster Rugby is to make Tallaght Stadium its home ground for the pre-season visit of Gloucester on August 11th (kick-off 5pm). Tickets are priced at €5 for juniors and a special early bird €10 for adults if purchased before July 1st.
